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July 2, 2014

From Where The Artist Sits: Creating A Music Video

Russ Suereth

There
are a lot of processes and a lot of steps to creating a video.

I
just finished a new music video for my song, Portraits from Living. This week’s article is about the process I
went through to create that video, how I did it, and why I did it that way. So
let’s start.

First,
I determined what type of music video I wanted to create. There are all types
of music videos out there today. My budget is on the low side. Accordingly I
decided to do something minimal like the recent videos from a variety of remix
channels. A great example is the Majestic Casual channel on YouTube. These videos
simply have a still photograph, the words “Majestic Casual,” and their logo.

I’ve
have liked that minimal style lately because those single images are usually better
than the moving images I see in music videos. I also think that the minimal
style helps me pay attention to the music.

So
I took that idea and embellished it. I got a single image and added some minor
movement effects to it. Then I added my name, the title, and my logo over the
top.

What
did I use to make this music video? Here’s a list of the hardware and software
I used.

·Computer: iMac i5

·Video
Software: Final Cut Pro X

·Video
Software Plugin: PRO16MM from Pixel Film Studios

·Graphic
Software: Adobe Illustrator

And
that’s it.

I
use Illustrator for the title, my name, and my logo on the video, but you can
use the text capabilities within Final Cut Pro to do that instead. Also you can
use the effects that come with Final Cut Pro instead of the plugin. Or you
could use any tool like iMovie or Adobe After Effects instead of Final Cut Pro.

Here
are all the steps I took to complete my video project:

Step
1. Find a photograph, painting, or graphic design that you like. Try to find an
image that can somehow connect to the music. Take a picture of a river, or a
friend. Or pick something from the many stock photo sites on the internet. Make
sure that you have the proper copyright capabilities with any photo you
purchase. Just because you purchase an image doesn’t mean you can use that
image for your video. Check the small print available on the stock photo web
site.

Step
2. Find a font to use for your name and
the title. The software you use will
have many fonts to choose from. Or you
can buy a font that may be a little more unique to your video.

Step
3. Add some effects to your image. Video
software usually comes with a library of effects to enhance the colors and the image.
You can go from subtle to aggressive on the effects. Regardless of your choice,
I really think you should add some degree of effects to give the video your own
personal touch.

Step
4. Add your name and title to the
effected image. I like adding the text
on top of the image and effects, so that the text stands out.

Step
6. Whether you have a complete movie, a
single-image that moves, or a still photo you’ll need to save that in a format that
YouTube can handle. This YouTube link discusses
the proper formats and how different formats can be converted.

Step
7. Upload the video to YouTube. I normally use Final Cut Pro X to do many of
the steps listed above. Final Cut Pro,
as well as other video software programs, enables you to share your video to
YouTube by making a few clicks.
Alternatively here’s another link from YouTube about uploading your
video.

Step
8. Once your video is on YouTube, go to your Video Manager and choose the
thumbnail that people will see before they click your video. Then provide an interesting
description of the video. And don’t forget to promote yourself!